A podcast exploring the anime industry as it connects with Canadian media and fandom. If you're in Canada, you get news and analysis directly relevant to you. If you're outside of Canada, you get a bit of a different perspective than usual. Discussion of streaming, broadcast and cultural impact are all on the table as I try my hardest to resist indulging in Bionix-related nostalgia.

Thursday, 20 December 2018

Curating the many great anime, TV shows, films, comics and music of 2018 is pretty much an impossible task, but Dave Merrill and Chris (aka Kurotsuki) join me in this holiday special to at least help navigate their personal favourite pieces of media of the year. Hear us discuss about Cells at Work, Joe Pera Talks With You, Hereditary and one really great Macross Delta song. (Don't consider that an endorsement of Macross Delta, though!)

Friday, 7 December 2018

Few things compare to the sheer might in which Goldorak (the French version of UFO Robo Grendizer) took French-speaking Canada by storm when it first debuted in 1978. While not particularly well-loved in Japan, Goldorak has proven to be one of Go Nagai's most impactful creations worldwide, and has influenced youth programming in ways you may not expect - even in the Anglosphere!. But does Goldorak still matter to Quebec and other francophones around the country? Dave Merrill and Chris (aka Kurotsuki) join me to explore the issue, and also help paint one of the best pictures of French-Canadian anime fandom you're likely to find.

NOTE: In this episode, I incorrectly state that Goldorak aired on Radio-Canada. It actually aired on TVA!

Friday, 9 November 2018

WOW Unlimited will be launching a new television channel soon in collaboration with Bell Media, and the chances are looking very good that it will feature an anime line-up of some kind. Why should anyone care about a linear television channel in this day and age? With some notable heavy hitters behind the scenes, as well as an incredibly strong streaming outlet in the form of Crave, this station and brand may have more of an impact than you'd expect. Karl joins me to discuss the potential benefits, as well as some of the dystopian side effects, of where the broadcast and streaming future of this channel could take anime, as well as the whole damned Canadian media ecosystem. Is that enough hyperbole for you?

Thursday, 4 October 2018

The Bush Baby, an anime based on a Canadian novel, was one of a minority of World Masterpiece Theatre titles to receive an English dub. This dub aired on TVO and Access Alberta in 1993 and then... vanished. It was thought to be lost forever, until it was finally recovered in its entirety earlier this year. Rania, who had the series archived for years, joins me in a retrospective look back on both the show itself, as well as the story of how this important historical artifact was preserved for so long. Mike Toole also joins us to shed a little bit of light on World Masterpiece Theatre licensing, and why this is such an important find. And yes, he does sing the theme song!

Wednesday, 12 September 2018

Since the early 90s, Raj Ramayya has had a rich career in the Japanese music industry, spanning commercials, to children's shows, to video games and, of course, to anime music collaborations with the likes of Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop and Wolf's Rain) and Kevin Penkin (Made in Abyss). He joins me in this episode to talk about how a foreigner from Saskatchewan could achieve such a prosperous career in Japanese media.

Thursday, 23 August 2018

Sarah joins me to talk about Anime Revolution 2018, including the big improvements from last year, as well as complaining about panels that pad out time with Q&A because they can't fill a full hour with proper content. Incidentally, we get through this topic in about 30 minutes, and then proceed to fill the rest of the episode with discussion about current anime shows this season.

Friday, 29 June 2018

Why was Mobile Suit Gundam SEED a success here but not the United States? Daryl Surat and Jarvis Gray join me to explain, in yet another retrospective episode on anime that have had a unique cultural impact in Canada. (Honestly though, we spend more time ranting about Gundam SEED Destiny, how that show is unfairly lumped in with its predecessor and why you should NOT watch the new HD remastered version of either series under any circumstances whatsoever.)

Wednesday, 30 May 2018

Matthew Erickson is one of the few voice actors who has worked (physically, at least) at both Ocean Studios locations. He made the leap from working at Blue Water Studios in Calgary to Westwood Studios in Vancouver, and is noted for his roles as Shinn Aska in Gundam SEED Destiny, Amuro Ray in Zeta Gundam and Trunks in the Blue Water dub of Dragonball GT. He joins me in this episode to talk about his experiences as a voice actor across two cities.

Wednesday, 18 April 2018

Karl (aka Ultraklystron) and I reunite to discuss a few things that occurred this past April Fools' Day; namely Sakura-Con 2018 and Reboot: The Guardian Code. Karl also has a lot more to say about the new FLCL than I do.

Saturday, 10 March 2018

Are FUNimation and Crunchyroll abandoning theatrical anime in Canada? Is Netflix eradicating unique media phenomena at a national level? Is Violet Evergarden worth coming back to every week? Eryn and I discuss all of this, and Devilman Crybaby too!

Wednesday, 3 January 2018

Randy and I look back on all of the major theatrical anime releases in Canada from this past year including your name., In This Corner of the World, Sailor Moon R and Love Live! delayed live shows. We also talk about Studio Ghibli screenings moving to Cineplex and whether or not we should just embrace our monopolistic overlords.